1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a joint connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional joint connector, there has been known a branch connector shown in FIG. 1 and disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JU-A) No. 1-103168. In this branch connector, a plurality of conductors 1 are sandwiched between an upper case 2 and a lower case 3, connectors 5 are accommodated in connector insertion portions 4, and the connectors 5 are fitted in the connector insertion portions 4. The connectors 5 are respectively attached with wires 7, each wire 7 having one end with a U-shaped terminal 6.
When the connector 5 is inserted into the connector insertion portion 4, the terminal 6 of the one end of the wire 7 projects below the connector insertion portion 4 to be connected to a corresponding conductor 1 positioned at a predetermined position and sandwiched between the upper case 2 and the lower case 3.
As the connector 5, there are a rectangular tubular one illustrated in FIG. 1 and tubular ones with an upper large diameter portion and a lower small diameter portion illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Two connecting plates 6A, 6B integrally formed with a terminal 6 are provided in a connector 5A illustrated in FIG. 2A. Terminals 9A, 9B of conductors 8A, 8B are fitted to the connecting plates, 6A, 6B so that branching and/or connecting of a circuit is performed.
A connecting plate 6C integrally formed with the terminal 6 is provided in a connector 5B illustrated in FIG. 2B. A terminal 9C of a conductor 8C is fitted to the connecting plate 6C so that branching and connecting of a circuit are performed.
However, in the conventional joint connectors (branch connectors), a plurality of housing members such as the upper case 2, the lower case 3, the connectors 5 (5A, 5B) and the like are required and a plural kinds of the terminals 6 must be prepared, which results in increase in the number of parts. Accordingly, manufacturing, management and/or assembling work of these many parts are made complicated, so that it becomes difficult to reduce manufacturing cost.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a joint connector at a low cost, which is reduced in the number of kinds of parts and has an excellent productivity, and whereby various circuit configurations can be assembled and secure connection can be performed.
In order to attain the above object, a joint connector of the present invention comprises upper and lower housings stacked, and conductive terminals respectively connected with wires. The terminals are accommodated in each housing. The terminals in each housing are arranged so as to be mutually connectable to one another. Each terminal has a portion to be connected extending upwardly and a connecting portion projecting below the housing. At least one of the connecting portion of the upper terminal and the portion to be connected of the lower terminal is bendable in a transverse or lateral direction. The terminals include an upper terminal in the upper housing and a lower terminal in the lower housing corresponding to the upper terminal. In a state where the housings are stacked at a predetermined position, when both of the connecting portion of the upper terminal and the portion to be connected of the lower terminal are not bent, the contacting portion comes in contact with the portion to be connected and the upper and lower terminals are connected in a conductive manner. In a state where the housings are stacked at a predetermined position, when at least one of the connecting portion of the upper terminal and the portion to be connected of the lower terminal is bent, the contacting portion is separated from the portion to be connected and conduction between the upper and lower terminals is shut off.
According to the above structure, a connecting portion of an upper terminal or a portion to be connected of a lower terminal is bent so that the upper and lower terminals are not connected in a state where upper and lower housings are stacked. Accordingly, various joint connectors can easily be designed according to various circuit configurations.
The terminals may be formed integrally in a multi-connected manner as a linkage connector, which has been cut out from a mother plate.
According to the above structure, by using a linkage terminal where terminals having the same pattern are formed in a multi-continuous shape, it is possible to obtain various circuit configurations, which result in improvement in productivity.
The linkage terminal may include a strip-shaped carrier coupling the terminals and a front end portion perpendicular to the carrier and extending in its longitudinal direction to be bent back. The portion to be connected is arranged at a distal end portion of the front end portion so that it may be erected from the bent-back front end portion.
According to the above structure, a developed terminal has a narrow elongated shape. Accordingly, a space or interval between adjacent terminals in the same linkage terminal can be made small, so that an area of a mother plate to be wasted can be reduced, which results in improvement in yield.
The connecting portion may be constituted with a connecting plate, and the portion to be connected may be constituted with spring pieces sandwiching or holding the connecting portion therebetween.
According to the above structure, as a connecting portion is formed in a plate shape, it can easily be bent. Also, in a state where a connecting plate or piece has not been bent, the connecting plate is held between spring pieces of a portion to be connected of a lower terminal so that the upper and lower terminals are connected to each other.
Each housing may have openings and the connecting portions in one housing may pass through the openings in the one housing. Each housing may have protection walls which are formed at peripheral edges of the openings and which project below the connecting portions which have passed through the openings. Also, in a state where the housings are stacked at a predetermined position, the protection wall of the upper housing may be opposed to the bent portion to be connected of the lower terminal.
According to the above structure, a protection wall prevents a connecting portion of an upper terminal from deforming to protect the connecting portion. In a state where a portion to be connected of a lower terminal has been bent, the protection wall of an upper housing prevents the bent portion to be connected from being erected so that a connection between the connecting portion and the portion to be connected is securely prevented.
The joint connector may be provided with engaging means for holding the housings in the state where the housings have been stacked at the predetermined position.
According to the above structure, upper and lower housings are fixed at a predetermined position by engaging mean. When a portion to be connected of a lower terminal has been bent, the upper and lower housings are held by the engaging means, so that the portion to be connected is securely prevented from being erected.
Each terminal may have wire holding pieces for holding the wire. The wire holding pieces may be disposed at both side portions of terminals so as to be shifted from each other in a longitudinal direction of each terminal.
According to the above structure, as wire holding pieces are shifted from each other in a longitudinal direction of a terminal, a space between adjacent terminals belonging to the same linkage terminal can be made small, which results in improvement in yield.